SAN MARCOS: Mayor says collaborative efforts made city stronger in 2009

United front credited with helping San Marcos rack up achievements despite economy

San Marcos got through a tough economic year thanks to the
united efforts of city officials, residents and others, Mayor Jim
Desmond told an audience of 125 people at his annual State of the
City address Tuesday.

He said he's not surprised, having predicted the city would do
OK a year ago.

"I suggested that our community spirit and collaboration would
be the single most important element for us in weathering the
economic storm ahead," Desmond said. "I believe you proved me
right. ... While we're not out of the woods yet, we have become a
stronger, more cohesive San Marcos because of the challenges we've
faced."

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore, local business leaders,
trustees for Palomar College, the San Marcos Unified School
District and the Vallecitos Water District were among those in the
audience during the 20-minute speech in the council's chambers at
City Hall.

The city and the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce hosted the
event, which cost $20 per person and was preceded by a networking
breakfast.

Desmond, who was elected mayor in 2006, started out by
acknowledging that 2009 was economically rough on the city, due in
large part to a major recession.

The city saw its sales and property tax revenues fall last year,
and a state raid on the city's redevelopment funds and property
taxes made the situation worse, he said.

"To bring this (raid) down to San Marcos terms, this means we
have $1.3 million dollars less in property taxes to fund city
services," the mayor said. "It also means we have $20 million
dollars less to build parks, rehabilitate neighborhoods and fix
streets and sidewalks."

The city used judicious budget cuts to help balance the budget,
Desmond said.

He also said the city racked up numerous accomplishments in
2009, despite the recession. The opening of one new park, the
creation of another and plans for three additional parks were among
the examples he cited.

His list also included the adoption of a plan for a mixed-use
development on 194 acres near the university, city assistance that
enabled a developer to resume work on a stalled hotel project off
Highway 78, and the start of the process to update the general
plan, the city's blueprint for future growth.

Reduced crime rates, new ordinances covering alcohol service and
sales and property maintenance, and traffic management projects
were other city achievements cited by the mayor, who also said
dozens of volunteers and partnerships between the city and local
businesses, community leaders and others played important roles in
some of the achievements.

"What I'm trying to emphasize here is we all pull together in
this city even when times are hard," said Desmond. "From residents
to city leaders, to businesses, to educators, to local agencies, we
are forging a positive path for San Marcos."

After the address, Kristal Jabara, who serves on two city
panels, said she thought the mayor did a good job of highlighting
the "amazing" things about San Marcos.

Palomar College Foundation Executive Director Richard Talmo also
gave the mayor's speech high marks.